Outline:
Facebook post claims that you can see who viewed your Facebook Profile by clicking to install a Facebook app called ‘Profile Spy’.

Brief Analysis:
The post is a scam designed to trick you into installing a rogue Facebook app and divulging your personal information via dodgy survey websites. There is no legitimate Facebook app that allows you to see who has been viewing your Facebook profile.

Example:
wow check this out i cant believe the people i caught looking at my profile LOL [92gbhIThBoiLLFBRELgP]

Detailed Analysis:
According to this Facebook post, you can get the names of people who have viewed your Facebook Profile by installing an app called ‘Profile Spy’. The post exhorts you to hurry before the tool is patched and suggests that you won’t believe the people you catch looking at your profile.

However, the post is a scam. If you click through and install the ‘Profile Spy’ app, it will access information from your profile and automatically post the scam message shown above on your behalf. Thus, your Facebook friends may click the post in turn because it will seem to them that you have recommended the ‘Profile Spy’ app.

After you have installed the app, you will be taken to a webpage that appears to display a list of people that are currently watching your profile. However, the list will be blurred so that you cannot read any of the names of these supposed profile stalkers. A popup window will tell you how many people are currently viewing your profile but claim that you must complete ‘1 short offer’ before your results will be unlocked. The popup will include a list of available ‘offers’ for you to click:

Clicking any of these links takes you to various third party websites that offer games, prizes, or gifts in exchange for providing your personal information. Some will ask for your mobile phone number, ostensibly so that you can access various phone games. However, fine print on the site will state that by providing your mobile number, you are actually subscribing to an ongoing SMS ‘service’ that will charge you several dollars for every message they send you. In other cases, you may be asked to provide your name, address, and contact details as a prerequisite for entering prize draws or getting free games. But, the fine print will state that, by providing your information, you are giving permission for ‘site sponsors’ and third-party marketers to contact you. Thus, you will soon begin receiving unwanted and annoying phone calls, text messages, emails, and surface letters peddling various products and services.

The scammers who created the rogue Profile Spy app and related pages will earn commissions each and every time somebody provides their information on one of the survey sites.

And, alas, no matter how many surveys or offers you participate in, you will never get to see who has been viewing your profile. The blurred list of names is entirely fake and will never show the people who have visited your profile. And the app itself does nothing other than post spam on your behalf. It will not reveal who has been visiting your profile. Ever.

If you come across an app that says it can show you who’s viewing your profile or posts, please report the app.

While there are various tools that can help you view demographic data about Facebook activity, there is no legitimate app that will provide a list of people who have looked at your profile. Some apps may provide information about your friends but only if these friends have installed the same app and and given it permission to show the data.

This scam attempt is just the latest in a long line of similar ‘view your profile stalker’ Facebook scams that have plagued Facebook users for years. If one of these posts comes your way, do not click on it and do not install any apps that it promotes. If you have already installed one of these rogue apps, remove it by navigating to the Apps section of your Facebook account Settings dialogue.

Last updated: September 25, 2016
First published: March 30, 2016
By Brett M. ChristensenAbout Hoax-Slayer